Portable heater



R. S. WATERS PORTABLE HEATER Filed Deo.

'9 rNvENToR ROBERT s. WATERS @YW ATTORNEY Y"April 1e, 1963 United statesPatent one@ 3,085,350 Patented Apr. 16, 1963 3,@3135@ PRABE HEATERRobert S. Waters, Lexington, hio, assigner to Westinghouse ElectricCorporation, East Pittsburgh, Ia., a corporation or Pennsylvania.

Filed Dec. 1, 19nd, Ser. No. 72,9lt9 6 maints. (Ci. Eid- 91) Thisinvention relates to space or room heaters, more particularly toportable heaters of this type, and has for an object to provide, incombination therewith, novel means for supporting articles to be driedby heat from such heaters.

Another object of the invention is to so arrange both a carrying bar anda drying bar for a portable space heater that each cooperates with theother to promote satisfactory performance of their respective functions.

Brieily, the invention, in a preferred form, utilizes a pair ofhorizontal bars, maintained in spaced parallel relation by side armsjoined at their ends remote from the bars and pivotally connected,adjacent the joined ends, to the heater for limited pivotal movement or"the assembled bars and side arms. At one limit of pivotal movement ofthe assembly one of the bars is positioned above the heatersubstantially in vertical alignment with the center of gravity of theheater, this bar thus providing a handle or carrying bar for the heater.In this position the other bar is disposed behind the heater adjacentthe lower edge thereof, and preferably is releaSably latched there. Atthe other limit of pivotal movement of the assembly the other bar isdisposed above and in front of the heater so that fabrics or otherarticles hung on this bar to dry are positioned in the path of heatedair discharged from the heater. This bar is referred to as a drying barand is retained in its `drying position by engagement of the carryingbar with the front of the heater.

The foregoing and other objects are effected by the invention as will beapparent from the following description and claims taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, inwhich:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a portable room heater incorporating theinvention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the structure shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a View similar to FIG. 2, but showing the bar assembly in adierent position; and,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the linesIV--IV of PEG. 3, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

The space or room heater 1o, illustrated in the draw* ing, includes abase 11 on which is secured a casing l2, the latter including a top wall13, side walls 14 and a rear wall 16 and having an open front 17protected by conventional grille Work 13. Preferably, the base 11 isprovided with a plurality of feet i9 to space the base from anysupporting surface on which the heater may be placed, such as a door,table top, shelf or the like.

The casing 12 houses the usual heating element 2l., surrounded on thefour sides and the rear by a reiiector 22 for directing radiant andreflected heat forwardly through the open front 17 of the casing. A fan23 may be housed in the base 1i for drawing air in through the bottom ofthe base and forcing it upwardly and forwardly around the outside of thereflector and exhausting it through `a peripheral space between thereiiector forward edge and the casing walls.

The construction described heretofore may be considered as conventional,applicants contribution relating to the combination with such a heaterof the novel bar assembly, indicated in its entirety by the referencecharacter 25.

This bar assembly 25 includes a carrying bar 26 and a drying bar 27ydisposed in horizontal parallel spaced relation and maintained in suchrelation by s-ide arms 28 integral with the ends of the carrying bar 26and side arms 29 integral with the drying bar 27.

rifhe side arms 28 and 29 are permanently joined, at their ends remotefrom their respective bars, as at 31, by welding, brazing or the like.It will be apparent from consideration of FIGS. l, 2 and 3 that the sidearms 28 lie in a plane displaced a substantial degree from the plane inwhich `the side arms 29 are disposed.

The terminal portions of the side arms 28, adjacent the weldedconnection between the side arms 28 and 29, are disposed in a horizontalplane, parallel to the bars 26 and 27 and serve as journals for pivotalmounting of the bar assembly 25. Such pivotal mounting of the -barassembly is elected by disposition of the journal portions 32 in alignedopenings 33 in the casing side walls 14. The journal portions 32 areretained in the bearing openings 33 by means of conventional toothedlock washers 334i engaging the inner ends of the journaled positions 32.Washers 35 are positioned on the journal portions 32 between the casingside walls 14 and the joined side arms 2S and 29 to prevent rubbing ofthe arms against the side walls.

With the bar assembly 25 journalled in the casing side walls for pivotalmovement with respect to the heater, the assembly may be pivoted betweenthe two limits of movement illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

In the position illustrated in FIG. 3, the carrying bar 2d is positionedsubstantially directly above the center of gravity of the completeheater 10 and the drying bar 27 is disposed adjacent the rear wall 16 ofthe heater, in close proximity to the bottom edge of the base 11, whereit is substantially concealed when the heater is viewed from the front.A resilient clip 36, carried by the base 1l, cooperates with the ldryingbar 27 to retain the latter in the position shown in FIG. 3.

When it is desired to utilize the drying bar 27, the bar assembly 25 ispivoted to the position illustrated in FIG. 2, in which position thedrying bar 27 is disposed horizontally above and forwardly of the openfront 17 of the heater where fabric articles or other articles ofwearing apparel or the like which are to be dried when hung on the bar27 will be positioned in the flow path of hot air discharged through theopen front of the heater, this llow path being indicated by the solidarrows in FIG 2.

The weight of articles hanging on the drying bar 27 when the latter isin the drying position of FIG. 2 would tend to pivot the bar assemblycounterclockwise were it not for the fact that the carrying bar 26engages the front of the casing 12 to retain the drying bar in itsdrying position.

The above description of the operation of the two bars 26 and 27 rendersobvious the necessity for disposing side arms 23 and 29 inangularly-disposed planes.

It is believed apparent from the above description that applicant hasprovided a unique bar assembly provided for both ready manualtransportation of the portable heater 1@ and convenient drying ofarticles by use of the heat discharged by the heater.

While the invention has been shown in but one form, it will be obviousto those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but issusceptible of various changes and modiications without departing fromthe spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. In combination with a portable space heater, a pair of bars, meansconnecting said bars in spaced parallel relation, means mounting saidbars for pivotal movement relative to the heater between a rst positionwhere one of said bars overlics the heater approximately above thecenter of gravity of the latter and the other bar abuts the heater tolimit pivotal movement of the bars in one direction and a secondposition in which said other bar is disposed above and generallyforwardly of the heater and the said one bar abuts the heater to limitpivotal movement of the bars in the opposite direction.

2. In combination with a portable space heater, a carrying bar and adrying bar, means hxedly connecting said bars in spaced parallelrelation, means mounting said connected bars for pivotal movementrelative to the heater between a rst position where the carrying baroverlies the heater approximately above the center of gravity of thelatter and the drying bar abuts the heater to limit pivotal movement ofthe bars in one direction and a second position in which said drying baris disposed above and generally forward of the heater and the saidcarrying bar abuts the heater to limit pivotal movement of the bars inthe opposite direction.

3. ln a portable space heater, a casing, a heating element housed insaid casing, a fan for passing air over said heating element to heatsaid air, means for directing the heated air outwardly from said casing,a bar assembly including a carrying bar and a drying bar disposed inspaced parallel relation, and means mounting said bar assembly on saidcasing for pivotal movement between a carrying position in which saidcarrying bar is disposed above the casing and the drying bar is disposedadjacent the casing and a drying position in which the drying bar is sodisposed in spaced relation with respect to the casing that fabricarticles hanging on said drying bar are positioned in the path of heatedair from the casing.

4. In a portable space heater, a casing, a heating element housed insaid casing, a fan for passing air over said heating element to heatsaid air, means for directing the heated air outwardly from said casing,a bar assembly including a carrying bar and a drying bar disposed inspaced parallel relation, an-d means mounting said bar assembly on saidcasing for pivotal movement between a carrying position in which saidcarrying bar is disposed above the casing and the drying bar is disposedadjacent the casing and a drying position in which the drying bar is sodisposed in spaced relation with respect to the casing that fabricarticles hanging on said drying -bar are positioned in the path ofheated air from the casing and the carrying bar engages the casing toprevent pivotal movement of the bar assembly as a result of the weightof articles on the drying bar.

5. In a portable space heater; a casing closed at the top, back and endsand open at the front; a heating element housed in said casing; a fanfor moving air into said casing for heating by said heating element andfor discharging the heated air through the open front of the casing; abar assembly including a carrying bar, a drying bar and side membersconnecting said bars in parallel spaced-apart relation; and meansassociated with said side members for pivotally mounting the barassembly on the casing for movement between a carrying position wherethe carrying bar is disposed in parallel spaced relation to the casingtop and lies approximately in the vertical transverse plane whichcontains the center of gravity of the heater with the drying bardisposed behind the heater, and a drying position where the drying baris disposed above and forwardly of the casing whereby fabric articleshanging on said drying bar are disposed in the path of heated airdischarged through the open front or the casing and the carrying barabuts the heater to maintain said drying bar in said drying position.

6. In a portable space heater; a casing closed at the top, back and endsand open at the front; a heating element housed in said casing; meansfor moving air into -said casing for heating by said heating element andfor discharging the heated air -through the open front of the casing; abar assembly including a carrying bar, a drying bar and a pair of sidearms for each bar, the side arms of each pair being fixed at one end -tothe ends of their respective Ibars and having their free ends joined tothe corresponding ends of the other pair, said pairs of side arms lyingin different planes; and means associated with each pair of joined sidearm ends for pivotally mounting the bar assembly on the heater casingfor limited movement between a carrying position where the carrying baris disposed horizontally above the heater and the drying bar is disposedadjacent the casing, and a drying position where the drying bar isdisposed horizontally above and in front ofthe casing whereby articleshanging on said dry bar are `disposed in the path of heated airdischarged through the open front of the casing and the carrying barabuts the heater to maintain the drying bar in its drying position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS1,119,235 Brandle Dec. 1, 1914 1,211,260 Webb Jan. 2, 1917 1,561,575Swanson Nov. 17, 1925 1,914,190 Herr June 13, 1933 2,265,610 Morgan Dec.9, 1941 2,562,436 Pass July 31, 1951 2,856,700 Wales Oct. 21, 1958

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A PORTABLE SPACE HEATER, A PAIR OF BARS, MEANSCONNECTING SAID BARS IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION, MEANS MOUNTING SAIDBARS FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE HEATER BETWEEN A FIRSTPOSITION WHERE ONE OF SAID BARS OVERLIES THE HEATER APPROXIMATELY ABOVETHE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF THE LATTER AND THE OTHER BAR ABUTS THE HEATERTO LIMIT PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE BARS IN ONE DIRECTION AND A SECONDPOSITION IN WHICH SAID OTHER BAR IS DISPOSED ABOVE AND GENERALLYFORWARDLY OF THE HEATER